Leading Off

JULIAN LOPEZ, 17 "EL JULI" Rank: 1 As of Oct. 17, two weeks after he turned 17, El Juli had 280 ears and 16 tails--105 ears and eight tails more than the second-ranked Ponce.COLOR PHOTO: PHOTOGRAPH BY AL TIELEMANS Screen Gem Seated before an image of himself in his prime--and between fellow Hall of Famers Hank Aaron (left) and Willie Mays--Ted Williams acknowledges the cheers of the fans as the members of baseball's All-Century team are introduced at the World Series.

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything